Danganronpa: ReProgrammed

A Next Generation Legend: Part 20 [Class Trial]

"If you vote for me, almost every single person in this room, including me, will die...!"

We...We will all die if we vote for Celeste?

But...if she's the killer, then we survive...What is it that she's saying...?

Chihiro thought these questions to himself, but the others voiced their feelings, in hopes of grasping what the hell the Ultimate Gambler was talking about.

"Wh-What...?" Junko asked "you're saying if we vote for you...we'll lose the trial?"

"How can that be!?" Makoto exclaimed "you just admitted that you're the killer!"

"...No...she hasn't admitted anything yet..." Kyoko realized "something tells me this case isn't over yet..."

"The fuck are you talking about!?" Mondo snapped "she's obviously the killer! I'm voting her ass outta here now!"

"Owada, stop!" Byakuya snapped "don't rush headfirst into these things! There is a non-zero possibility that Celeste...or whoever she is, is telling the truth!"

Mondo looked like he wanted to respond, but couldn't. He looked towards Chihiro for any sort of guidance. However, Chihiro also wanted to be absolutely sure of everything.

"Celeste," he said "tell us everything you know. And I mean everything...!"

"Alright...I will gladly do so..." Celeste began "first of all, you are correct about one thing. My name is not Celestia Ludenburg...And since you all now know that...You may refer to me as Taeko Yasuhiro from now on..."

"Taeko?" Makoto repeated.

"You already know the vast majority of the details," Celeste, or rather Taeko, continued "late last night, shortly before night-time, I approached Hifumi with an idea of a plan. One that involved us teaming up, and then being able to escape together. Of course, he was reluctant at first, but when I reminded him that he wouldn't need to go through with the class trial, he eventually accepted, and we made a deal."

"Why did you choose now to act though?" Kyoko asked "was it really due to the additional motive that Monokuma put into play? Was it the opportunity you decided to grasp?"

"The additional motive?" Taeko asked "oh, no...The additional motive was only an apparatus I used to conduct the scheme I'd already had in mind. I needed something to use that would get me an ally..."

"Then the real reason you committed murder..." Makoto realized.

"Yes..." Taeko affirmed "I suppose it was for the money...the 10 billion dollars..."

"You-!? You got two people killed and almost fatally injured someone for the sake of fucking money!?" Mondo bellowed.

Taeko shrugged. "I was simply doing whatever it took to win..."

"That's my line..." Byakuya leered.

"No, you don't understand. The money was my motive, but it wasn't my reason," Taeko smirked as she always did "to be honest, I've been planning to commit a murder since the first day we came to this wretched academy; or rather, when Monokuma first explained the rules of the Killing School Life. I was willing to do anything if it meant we could get out...!"

"Since day one!?" Junko snapped "what the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"Yeah dude!" Hiro exclaimed "from "the first day" you were always saying how we needed to accept our fate and adapt to the school!"

"I WAS OBVIOUSLY LYING THROUGH MY FUCKING TEETH!" she screamed at both of them, causing them to seek cover behind their podiums "I WANTED NOTHING MORE THAN TO GET OUT OF THIS HELLHOLE! I would have mowed down EVERY! LAST! ONE OF YOU! TO GET OUT!"

Everyone now felt like a hole had been drilled in their stomachs. It was almost as if something was missing inside...perhaps the trust that everyone had felt towards Celeste so far.

"But I am getting off topic..." the gothic gambler sighed "assuming that we get out of this trial alive, I will gladly tell you the whole story..."

"Right..." Kyoko considered "by all means, continue with the matters that relate to the case..."

"Well, like you've already figured out at this point, I am the one who attacked Taka..." Taeko continued "and I did so for a reason. As you know, the additional motive made it so that you'd be able to leave immediately if you killed two people, so I told Hifumi that I'd immobilize Taka, and prevent him from being found, while he killed Sakura up at the lab. Then, when he was done, he could come back down, and kill Taka, counting as two kills. He'd then have to help me kill two people, or else I'd walk in on Taka's body after he'd killed him..."

"What kind of blackmail is that?" Junko asked "how would that help you?"

"Takeo attacked Taka, but didn't kill him," Makoto considered "if she walked in on the body after Hifumi killed Taka, that would count as a discovery..."

"Which means if she did that," Byakuya thought "Hifumi's wouldn't have gotten away with his plan, and the class trial would still have been fair. Furthermore, since Celeste knew he was the culprit, the trial would have likely lasted a matter of seconds..."

"Ah...that makes sense..." Junko realized.

"You...fucking bitch...!" Mondo thought "you were totally just gonna kill him yourself, weren't you!?"

"That's right," Taeko confessed "my plan was to wait for Hifumi to come down to the storage room, and before he had a chance to kill Taka, I'd kill him myself. Then, once that was done, I'd finish off Taka, and claim my prize. That would have counted as two kills."

"You...!" Junko growled, her usually smooth skin wrinkling due to how furrowed her brow was "why Taka of all people!? What did he do to you!?"

"Nothing! It's as I said earlier," she explained "I only chose Taka because he was an easily obtainable target. Not only did I know where he would be, but he's been far too tired lately to have the strength to fight back in the chance we did have a struggle..."

"You're a fucking freak, you know that!?" Mondo snapped "how little do you care about human life!?"

"To be entirely honest...less than the shard of a broken poker chip..." Taeko bluntly responded "like I said earlier, had the plan worked, I would have been executed by now...and you would be one happy biker..."

"What do you mean "if the plan worked"...?" Chihiro said. Taeko paused for a moment, before she finally said the words that made everyone's blood run cold.

"Hifumi never showed up to kill Taka," she said "he went upstairs to kill Sakura, and was late to show up to claim his prize...and then not too much later...he was found dead..."

"What!?" Makoto exclaimed "you mean...He died BEFORE he showed up!?"

"Y-You're obviously fucking lying!" Junko snapped.

"No I am not!" Taeko snapped back "and it doesn't matter if you think I am honestly. I confess to attacking Taka and masterminding Sakura's death, but I did not kill Hifumi. Choose to vote for me, and you will pay the ultimate price...!"

"Fuck that noise!" Mondo roared "it's voting time! I'm voting for this bitch!"

"H-Hold on Mondo!" Chihiro waved his arms around frantically "I want this to be over and done with as much as you do, but...!"

Chihiro paused as they thought for a moment.

"Looking back...there are still several loose ends that we haven't tied up; several pieces of evidence that we haven't connected to this crime. If we're really going to assume that Celeste...or Taeko...is the killer, then we need to be absolutely sure."

"Fine...!" Mondo gave in "rest easy now Taeko. 'Cause if you get out of this trial alive, I'll sure as shit kill you myself!"

"My, wouldn't that make for a very uninteresting class trial..." she snarked.